When I was little my family moved to Cody, Wyoming from Vinita, Oklahoma as my stepdad Fred accepted a high paying position with the Husky oil refinery. The majority of our family and friends lived in northeast Oklahoma. So, twice a year we took a couple weeks off and went back to visit. In the spring of 1962 we prepared for one of those trips. My sister and I always looked forward to them for all the exciting things we saw. As we crossed through lower Wyoming we always saw herds of deer and antelope running on the plains. In Colorado we visited the Grand Canyon and stopped at cafes selling Jackalopes which were supposed to be an actual animal, but were really just jack rabbits with antelope antlers attached, Tourists ate it up. There were slot machines everywhere and Fred was so lucky, we always got to gather up quarters and dimes and nickles that spewed out of the winners tray, and usually got to keep them.
It was a real treat to get to eat out as we traveled across the country. At home mom cooked almost every meal. She was an excellent cook and all of our Wyoming friends and neighbors found it a treat to eat at our house. Most of them had never tasted a chicken fried steak or homemade cream gravy. In Cody at the time if you ordered a salad in a cafe, you got a lettuce wedge with French dressing pored over it, so mom’s mixed lettuce and assorted vegetable salads were a hit. When she made homemade hot rolls or bread the aroma hit the neighborhood and she had to make triple batches as the house filled with dinner guests. No invitation was ever necessary at our house.
We packed for the trip the night before. We were up at 5 AM and had a quick breakfast and headed out. We had been on the road about an hour when mom said, “Fred I don’t remember unplugging the coffee pot. Did I?” Fred and mom always rode in the front seat and took turns driving. My sister and I rode in the back. We had a family discussion and decided there was no way the coffee pot was left plugged in because we always made one last trip through the house turning things off and unplugging things. It had to be off and unplugged. It had to be fine.
The farther we drove across Wyoming the darker the sky became and then here came the rain. Wyoming was a fairly dry state and I had never seen such a storm since leaving Oklahoma. There was thunder and lightning and rain coming down in sheets. As we reached Wind River Canyon it was almost 9 PM and it was pitch dark except for the lightning. There were state officials there closing down the highway. In fact we were the last car they let through. This canyon was our favorite part of the trip. On one side of the highway was a sheer mountain cliff. On the other was the canyon with a drop off of 80 to 100 feet. Across the canyon was a ledge which held a railroad track. We were often fortunate to see the train inching its way along but there would be no train tonight. The highway was narrow and winding. Coming down out of Wyoming, it was a steep decline. all the way.
On a clear day it was a tad frightening, but on that specific night it was terrifying in the pouring rain, with thunder crashing and lightning striking the ground all around. I remember mom saying to Fred, “Should we be worried about mud slides? Fred have you ever been in a mid slide?” Ten seconds later the rushing rain washed a ton or so of dirt, rock and debri down behind us. There would be no turning back. In front of us small shale sprinkled down and across the road. A bolder as big the car we were in tumbled down in front of us but rolled off down inyo the canyon below. A lone mountain hit the road in front of us and raced away out of sight. Behind us we watched five or six big-horn mountain sheep escaping the slide.
We were driving 45 to 55 miles per hour and couldn’t go any faster. Every four or five minutes there would be another slide but always behind us. We were speechless. Mom said,”Girls get up here with us.” We couldn’t get over that seat fast enough. About three miles from the end of the canyon we met a National Guard rover coming in to check on us. We were so happy to see them. There are just not words to describe our relief. We seldom got a motel. We usually just drove straight through and it took about 24 hours.each way. That night we rented a motel room, however none us went to sleep for hours which meant that when we did finally fall asleep we were out until late into the next morning.
Driving across Colorado was sunny and dry as we talked about the events of the previous night. And then Mom said, “Fred aren’t we fortunate, as many trips as we’ve made across this country and nevr had any serious car trouble? Fred have you ever been far away from home and had serious car trouble?” Ten seconds later a u-joint went out. It was 1962 and we didn’t own a cell phone. A passerby stopped and said they would send help. A highway patrolman came and called a tow truck and we spent the next four or five hours at a repair shop. Of course we gave thanks that it hadn’t happened the previous night in the canyon alone in the dark and the storm.
With the car repaired we drove through the night and dawn found us in Nebraska. There were lavish corn fields, lush wheat fields on both sides of the highway, Where there were no crops there were meadows with fat cows grazing. About 10:30 AM we were all getting hungry. Fred didn’t want to take time to stop and eat. We were on the third day of a trip that normally took one. We stopped at a grocery store and got sandwich makings, chips, pickles. cupcakes, cookies, soda pop. napkins, paper plates and the like intending to eat in the car. Only a short distance down the road mom spotted a picnic table just there in the middle of no where. She convinced Fred to stop. We unloaded the groceries to the table and each of us had our plates fixed when mom said, “Did ypu all notice how close we are to those railroad tracks? My, I think you could touch a train from here. Fred what do you think would happen if a train came by? Have you ever been this close to a moving train?”
Ten seconds later Wooh! Wooh! and here came the streamline blue-black shiny racer. It was a luxury passenger liner. Can’t say I ever saw a train go that fast before or since. There were napkins, paper plates, wrappers, chips, bread slices and all sorts of stuff in the air everywhere. My sister and I laughed until we choked and cried. Fred however did not seem to be all that amused. Mom was leaping and jumping and trying to catch things out of the air while simultaneously trying to hold things down. It was marvelous, fabulous, wonderful, absolutely histerical.
It was after dark when we drove across the Kansas border, and Mom said, “Fred it’s spring. Its the perfect time of year for thunderstorms.” Ten seconds later CRASH! BOOM! BANG! Thunder, lightning, winds and small hail surrounded us.” Fred pulled under an overpass and we were there about 25 minutes before it let up and we moved on. As we continued on our way the rain continued. We were approaching Hayes, Kansas when mom said, “Fred does it flood in Hayes?” Ten seconds later we were driving through Hayes and the ground water was lapping in on the floor boards. We found a motel on high ground. This was an absolute first. Two motels in the same trip. My sister and I were beside ourselves. We were ecstatic. One could say that Fred was also beside himself. Oh Well! Enough said.
We settled in and mom spoke again,”Fred do you think this is tornado weather?” Fred turned the TV on and sure enough ten seconds later we heard sirens outside and across the screen came a tornado warning. There were seveal tornadoes sighted and 3 on the ground nearby. We sat glued to the tube for several hours watching the local weather until all was declared clear. The morning was bright. The storms were over. We had already lost so much time. It was the longest Wyoming to Oklahoma tripe ever. Fred said,” What the heck? Let’s go eat breakfast.” This was unbelievable. It was great! We never did this. I got pancakes. My sister got an omelet and hashbrowns and we shared.
We’d been back in route about thirty minutes when mom did it again. “Fred it just feels so humid out here, like we were driving in fog. Don’t you think so?” Ten seconds later we drove into light fog which grew deeper and denser by the mile. It wasn’t long until we had slowed to 40 MPH, then 30 MPH and down to 20 MPH. We couldn’t see more than a foot in any direction. This was worse than the canyon. To this day I don’t know how Fred kept driving. We had driven this stretch of road so many times. We knew there was a nice truck stop near and we were all looking for it. We passed it and Fred turned around in the middle of what we hoped was the highway and went back, He inched into the parking lot and mom got out and lead us into a parking space as close to the building as we could get. We weren’t hungry, so we ordered drinks. Fred had five cups of black coffee! My sister and I got milk shakes and an hour later we got root beer floats. This was turning out to be the best trip ever. After another two hours the fog had not lifted.
Fred said, “Lets eat.” We could not believe our ears.My sister and I got cheeseburgers and fries and a coke plus a piece of coconut cream pie. We were giggling. This was a once in a lifetime experience. As we finished eating the fog began to lift and we were off again. It was on the fourth night of what should have been 24 hours that we finally pulled into the Oklahoma hills. Mom was driving and she said, “Fred I wish you’d drive. These hills always give me the chills. I’m always afraid I’ll top a hill and there will be something in the middle of the———“She didn’t finish her sentence. As we topped that hill there stood a huge white horse. Mom slammed on the brakes and then the gas as she drove wilding out around it and it bucked and ran off the road the other direction.
And Fred said, “HELEN MARIE PULL OVER NOW! Don’t say another word until we get to your folks house.” My sister and I both fell down into the floorboard. We were holding our mouths and trying not to laugh out loud when he said in a mocking voice, “Fred have you ever been in a mud slide? Fred have you ever had car trouble far away from home? Fred what would happen if a train came? Fred does it look like a thunderstorm, a tornado, how about fog? We covered up his groanings with histerical laughter. Mom said,”You left out the horse!” Fred burst out laughing. Mom sighed from her very soul and we all laughed again and this time she laughed too.
We spent the rest of the trip making up Fred questions. Fred, have you ever been in a meteor storm? Fred have you ever been abducted by aliens? Fred have you ever met a ghost? Have you met the invisible man? Did you borrow his cloak? We would not let mom play. When she would open her mouth we would holler, “DUCK!” and cover our heads. We told her she could write her questions but not speak them. We laughed all the way to my grandparents home in Vinita, Oklahoma.. As we were getting out Fred said to Mom,’ Now explain to me why you couldn’t have said, Fred have you ever been a millionaire.”
We had a great visit with mom’s family and Fred’s family and lots of friends. The return trip was uneventful. We were rerouted around the Wind River Canyon as the road was closed and there was work going on to clear and rebuild. When we got into the house mom went immediately to the kitchen. She had left the coffee pot pluggrd in and on. It had boiled dry and then it had burned a hole through the counter top and fell into a granite pot on tje shelf below, unplugging itself as it fell. Well, it could have been worse. All we needed was a new counter and a new coffee pot.
For six or eight weeks we gave mom fits with Fred questions until one night Fred brought supper home. This was something that he’d never done. He came in with a big box. He pulled out his chair and set the box in it. He brought out chicken and potatoes and gravy and hot rolls and pie. He then pulled out a helmet and put it on his head, opened up an umbrella that he pulled from the box and held it over his head. He moved the box and sat down and said, Helen go ahead honey, feel free to talk.” Mom hit him in the chest with a drumstick. I fell flat in the floor and my sister leaped up and down squealing and laughing. Fred laughed harder than I ever saw him laugh.
Thats been almost 40 years ago and a lot has happened since. I lost Fred first and then mom and then my sister. I learned a lot about human nature as I watched family and friends choose items of remembrance. I guess I learned the most about myself. What I wanted was photographs, lots and lots of photographs and an old granite pot. My kids looked at me with curious expressions, So I explained that to a stranger it was an old pot full of dirt and cactus, but to me ? Well it is a pot full of memories of an unforgettable trip across this country. You see, I look at that old pot and am flooded with priceless memories of how much we loved each other as we sat on the edge of our seats through Wimnd River Canyon, and as water lapped in at the floor boards in Hayes, Kansas. Memories of fog and a speeding train and a big white horse. It’s filled with shared laughter. I look at that pot and see Fred in that helmet holding that umbrella and mom throwing that chicken leg and hitting him in the chest.
All of that and more is in that old granite pot. I didn’t tell them that Fred had dropped the round piece of melted counter that fell through into the bottom of that pot as a keepsake, and how my sister had filled the pot with dirt. Mom planted the cactus. It’s as close as I can get to them. I keep that old pot on the front porch and when it gets to cold, I bring it into the bathroom as part of the ranch house decor. Let me explain like this. I once had a blue tick coon hound. She was a training dog for young pups and one of the best dogs I ever owned. A serious coon hunter kept trying to buy her from me. His final offer was $10,000 and I turned it down. I loved her and that love made her priceless. So you see, I wouldn’t sell that old blue granite pot for any price. After all money is easily replaced if you have a working mind, but memories? Well they’re irreplaceable-priceless.
I’ve thought of several new Fred questions over the years like “Fred have you ever been chased by a fire breathing dragon? ” Oh what a trip. I’ve made up my mind, I’m packing up my kids and grandkids and we’re going to Wyoming through Hayes, Kansas and the Wind River Canyon. My excuse they need to see Yellowstone, but just between me and you I need to recount those unbelievable four days.